Visual Storytelling combines the intrinsic high level of interest that young people have for graphic novels with the educational mission of the college English classroom. Teachers-particularly teachers of Freshman Comp and Freshman/Sophomore Literature-are faced with a significant challenge of presenting literature in a way that simultaneously: * Interests students * Presents a model of literary evaluation * Convinces students that such evaluation is important * Leaves them room in which to develop their own model * Encourages students to draft sophisticated responses in writing At the introductory college level, many teachers struggle to create transformative and engaging classroom experiences within the limitations of traditional readers. A graphic reader has the ability to open students to artistic and meaningful narratives-narratives rich in character and culture-that challenge advanced students and engage students resistant to traditional Composition assignments. A graphic reader presents literature in such a way that students often experience a greater sense of comprehension and therefore participate more fully in class. A graphic reader - especially for a Composition classroom - engages entry-level students in the college experience and energizes them toward success. A graphic reader can bring many benefits to the college classroom - particularly the Freshman classroom - and that these benefits can be used to market the book as distinct from the traditional Freshman reader. Instead focusing only on text-based literacy, a graphic reader can give extra attention to critical and visual literacies, and promote critical literacy through its diverse and thought-provoking subject matter. Many graphic novels can be read in one sitting, but the topics raised can spark discussions complex and relevant enough to last multiple classes. These discussions provide an opportunity to investigate and analyze popular culture's representations of life experiences, ethnic and cultural groups, and historical events-common themes in graphic texts. Further, the nature of the graphic text asks students to read between text and image - to generate and answer questions about art - especially the question of what constitutes literary merit-life, and the intersection(s) between the two.